Bittersweet
by winternightlullaby
Summary: "This isn't over. I will come back for you. Forget everything you have now because once I'm done, I will be the only thing you have left. I love you Namine." AU
1. Cheering her up and his true self

**A/N**: Hello! This is my first fanfiction and I would like to make a request:

No flames, constructive criticism is welcome!

Characters are a bit OOC! And this story is AU!

**Disclaimer**: winternightlullaby does not own Kingdom Hearts, Tetsuya Nomura does, lucky jerk...

Summary: Namine is probably the sweetest girl in Twilight Town, but after an explosive confrontation with her boyfriend that got him in prison, she mends her life back and moves on with his kind brother. Too bad her boyfriend hasn't forgotten her, and he'll do about anything to make sure he is her one and only.

Chapter 1: Cheering her up and showing his true self

Namine was sitting in her front yard, silently spraying water on her flowers while contemplating her situation. It had been a week since she found out that her boyfriend Ventus was cheating on her, and she ended up taking him back only 3 days ago. Was she doing the right thing? Or would she rather face Ventus's extremely desperate methods of getting back with her? She remembered what he had done: Announcing his love for her over the intercom at school and getting packages of different teddy bears every freaking day at exactly 12 pm. She sighed deeply, Ventus's excited face flooded her mind when she remembered the day she took him back.

But her thoughts were halted when she felt something warm on her face, then her sight was clouded in darkness. 'Hands,' she thought. Then smiled.

"I know who it is."

"No you don't!" said a male voice behind her. "Let's play the guessing game!" Namine sighed. This was seriously becoming a routine. But hey, it cheered her up when she needed it. Especially at times like this.

"I am an Adonis-like figure, I have a chiseled tanned body with chiseled blond hair and...chiseled...blue eyes-"

"Eyes can't be chiseled! Cutting your eyes is bad," she giggled, feeling a weight off her shoulders.

"No no no, you think my eyes are chiseled because I am so built to the point where I am a diamond carved by the gods. No one stands up to my chiseledness. Who am I?" Namine smirked.

"Edward from Twilight, now let go of me." The hands were gone the second she gave her answer. Turning, she saw her boyfriend's younger brother Roxas, who was the mirror image of Ventus. Dark blonde hair, evenly tanned skin, and eyes a gorgeous blue. He tended to exaggerate his emotions around Namine, usually keeping a cool, sarcastic demeanor with others not in his private circle of close friends. But today, he looked like someone who had been deeply insulted.

"Edward from Twilight? Seriously, Namine? I am so offended!" Namine shrugged.

"You kept saying you were 'chiseled' so I assumed." She sprayed him with her hose. "It's your fault."

Roxas jerked back, brushing water off his clothes and skin. "Oh dammit! That's gonna chap my delicate skin!" Namine stared for a long time, dropping the leaking hose.

"Wow, Roxas. You are like Edward after all." In response, Roxas chased her around her yard, picking up the hose and threatening to spray her if she didn't take back what she said. She wasn't aware of the dangerous eyes that watched them from afar, but Roxas could practically feel the daggers on his back. Psh, like he cared.

Ventus watched as his dearest girlfriend was being chased around by his parasite of a brother. 'Roxas...' The very name was like acid on his tongue. He always wanted things he could never have, and Namine was untouchable. Roxas would only toy around with her then dump her later, it was basically his nature when it came down to action figures and video games. He treated people like toys in school, especially his retarded fan club, why would he treat Namine differently?Roxas always left the old for the new, but Ventus was different. He would treasure her always and protect her from the greedy hands of his brother. Sure, he did cheat on her, but he was foolish and didn't understand how much she really meant to him.

Ventus sat on his bed, then turned to the desk beside him so he could see a glossy black picture frame that contained Namine's picture. She smiled sweetly at the camera in her short white dress and light brown sandals. Smiling at him. He absently traced his finger on her face. He loved Namine so much. He liked that she was mature enough to know that even though he cheated, he loved her more. Any regular girl would drop him without hearing him out, but Namine stuck with him. She believed him.

They were going to get married, he would see to that. He smirked when he imagined seeing Roxas glare bloody murder at him at the altar. That's what he gets for trying to get with his girl. The picture next to Namine quickly caught his attention, causing him to glare. He only kept it to make it look like he cared about Roxas to his father. It was a picture of Namine again, but this time, Roxas was beside her as they had arms around each other's shoulders while smiling at the camera. Ventus slowly slid the picture out of its frame. Before he knew it, he had angrily torn off the half with Roxas.

Setting Namine's half aside, he stared at the picture of his brother for at least two minutes, then took out his black pocketknife, a gift from his uncle. He started slicing the picture, the scraps making a pile in his lap. He smiled slowly as the knife when through the picture of Roxas's face, imagining if it were his actual face. While the picture of his brother was being cut to pieces, he heard a low whistle behind him. Whipping around in alarm, he saw Roxas, who looked on with an amazed expression and was just a few feet away. So close to cut...

"Damn, bro, you've got problems." Ventus narrowed his eyes and stood up, the pieces scattering on the floor. He pointed the knife to him.

"You. What do you want with Namine? You're planning something, aren't you, Roxas?" Roxas simply stared at the knife and shrugged easily.

"What? I like Namine, I'm doing her a favor by protecting her from you." Ventus blinked.

"Me? I love Namine!" Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Right. So you cheat on her and make her cry. I can practically feel the love," he said sarcastically. Ventus lunged at him, the knife barely missing Roxas's neck as he moved to the side to dodge him.

"She loves me. She took me back. She knows I love her too." Ventus was preparing to attack again.

"You know what she did after she found out?" Roxas replied, ignoring what Ventus was saying. "She cried on me, I comforted her. All you did was scare her into taking you back. You're scared that I'll steal her away, aren't you? Well, you're not much of a dumbass after all." Ventus lunged at his younger brother again, knife missing its intended target by an inch. He was going for the neck again, Roxas thought with a sigh. 'Typical Ventus. Always going for the obvious.'

Roxas grabbed Ventus's armed hand and pulled him forward, then struck him on the jugular with the blade of his hand. Hard. Ventus grabbed his own throat as his pocketknife cluttered on the ground. Seconds later, he was on the cold floor in a fetal position. It hurt like hell, and each breath made him gag like the air was choking him, his eyes watered and his vision blurred. Roxas calmly bent over and took the knife.

"Trying to kill me again, huh? You can't kill me when you're a total psycho like this, bro. You lose your focus and you miss." Ventus took a deep breath even though he felt like throwing up.

"Stay...stay away...from Namine," he hissed, glaring at Roxas and blinking salty tears from his eyes. Roxas glared right back at him with the knife twirling in his hand.

"If I do, who'll protect her from you? Isn't it obvious that you have psychotic tendencies? You tried to kill me again, your own brother," he replied, clutching a hand to his heart and exaggerating a hurt look on his face. He was having way too much fun with this.

"She doesn't need protection from me! I love her." Roxas's glare was back and more intense than before.

"So do I. What a shame that she's dating you. But get this: Hurt her ever again, Ventus, and I'll have no problem killing you." Roxas turned away and began to leave the room.

Once he got to the doorway, he flicked the knife at his brother, the blade embedding on the floor centimeters away from Ventus's eye. Ventus barely flinched. 'I'll kill you next time,' he thought darkly as he grabbed the handle. 'Slowly.'

So what'd you think?

Please review!

-winternightlullaby out!


	2. Psychotic Enigma

A/N: Okay, this is a not-so-great chapter, but it emphasizes more on Ventus as seen in other people's eyes. There are more people in this chapter, but eh, the later chapters'll be more interesting

Chapter 2: Psychotic Enigma

_Beep! Beep! Beeeeeeep!_

"No...go away," Namine mumbled sleepily, knocking the little alarm clock off her nightstand. The clock fell with a thud on her carpet, but she didn't care. Instead, she turned over in her bed and fell back asleep.

"Namine!" Her adoptive father Zack called out. Namine groaned, digging her face further into her plumpy pillow.

"I wanna sleep some more! It's summer break, Dad!" she whined. Zack was already in her room, chuckling at her behavior.

"I know, honey. But didn't you say that you were going to see your friends today?" Namine sighed.

"But that's at 11. It's not 11 yet." Zack smoothed out his spiky black hair in frustration. Now she was being difficult. He spotted her abandoned alarm clock on the floor and picked it up, then grinned sadistically.

"Honey, it's 10:30 right now." Namine shot out of bed in a second, eyes wild.

"10:30? I'm gonna be late!" She zoomed passed him and into her bathroom. Zack laughed again and set the clock on her nightstand, the time reading 9:30. 'She is going to be so upset with me.'

Namine quickly got ready in her room. She slipped on her white dress and was in the middle of brushing her tangled flaxen hair when she noticed her clock on her nightstand. '9:45? 9?' She gripped her hairbrush hard, but at the same time, felt a bit relieved. Zack always had to wake her up early even as a child.

Zack was sipping his coffee innocently when Namine came downstairs, looking a bit upset. Zack smiled calmly.

"Good morning, Namine." She cracked a smile.

"Morning, but that was still evil." Zack shrugged.

"Had to get you outta bed somehow, sweetie. Your ass would've been in bed until it was 10:30." She pouted and crossed her pale arms over her chest.

"But why? I would've gotten ready in time." Zack didn't look at her as he took a bite of his toast.

"Uh-huh, sure. Eat something, there's plenty of time." He winked at her, making her giggle as she went to grab out her cereal.

"Still evil, Dad. Making me rush."

"Happy to help."

Kairi smoothed out her pink dress and brushed the stray strands of her shoulder-length red hair out of her blue eyes. Her mother Aerith walked in with a cup of tea.

"Getting ready? I made some tea for you." Kairi smiled gently at her mother.

"Thanks, Mom." She took the cup from her and took a long sip. Aerith ran a hand through her daughter's hair.

"What are you doing with Namine today?" Kairi set down the cup.

"Hang out with Sora and Roxas. Going to the arcade or the mall. Maybe both," she giggled. Aerith tilted her head to the side.

"What about Ventus? Shouldn't you invite him too?" Kairi glared into her mirror.

"When Hell freezes over. I swear, I might tear him to shreds if I see him." Aerith sighed.

"I think many people who love Namine feel the same way. But he is her boyfriend still, not like I like the boy either," she added with a grimace. Kairi's father, Cloud walked in while cleaning one of his handguns.

"Who are you talking about this time?" he asked. They didn't flinch at the sight of the gun. Cloud and Zack are the best in Twillight Town's narcotics, they were bound to have guns around the house. Kairi snorted.

"Ventus. Can't you arrest him, Dad? A cop's a cop." Cloud sighed deeply and scratched the back of his head.

"Kairi, if I locked up everybody who's a cheating bastard, the prison would be overcrowded. The thought alone is very tempting." Kairi stomped her foot childishly.

"But he's a jerk who deserves to go to jail! Rumor has it that Ven is super psycho and I don't want Nami to deal with that kind of shit!" Aerith looked at her sternly.

"Kairi! Language!"

"But you know it's true, Mom!" She sighed again.

"I didn't say I didn't believe he's a jerk, dear. But you can't act out on a rumor. We don't even know how Ventus is on the inside. How can anyone be arrested if they didn't know the real him? Besides, Namine hasn't said anything about him being abusive towards her." Cloud smirked, an evil glint in his eye.

"You could plant him with drugs. _Then _I can arrest him. Even if he's nice or whatever the hell he is, his ass could be in prison for drug possession." Aerith glared at him while Kairi's eyes brightened.

"You have the worst ideas, Cloud. Kairi, don't even think about it. Now, Namine will be here soon, leave it alone and cheer her up. She's been looking pretty depressed lately since she took him back." Kairi finally grinned.

"Yeah, I will. But if Ven comes close to us and tries to get Namine to hang out with him again instead, I promise he's getting a black eye." Aerith slapped a hand to her forehead, but Cloud shrugged.

"Do what you want. Just let him pay for anything before you do."

Namine quickly got out of her car with Zack in tow. Kairi spotted them from her window and waved before giving her a sign that she would be down soon.

"Remember, don't talk to strangers, accept candy from them and follow them to their van-" Zack started to rant, but Namine held up a small hand, used to this kind of behavior.

"Dad, I'm 17, not much of a little girl anymore." Zack grunted.

"But still my little girl. Just promise to be careful." Namine smiled and gave him a bear hug.

"Of course. I promise." Zack held her tighter. She needed a day to be happy thanks to that bastard boyfriend of hers.

"Be careful," Cloud deadpanned, "There's been an increase in crimes lately." Kairi raised a brow as she picked up her bag.

"Are you saying that to get us home early?" Cloud simply stared at her.

"Yes. And you can do nothing about it." Kairi let out a laugh and hugged him and Aerith while Namine and Zack watched in amusement.

"Funny. Bye!" She grabbed Namine's hand and ran out the door with her. Zack watched his little girl disappear through the screen. Cloud gave them a ghost of a smile before the semi-happy expression died.

"What did you pick up about Ven?" Cloud asked seriously, turning to Zack. Zack clenched his fist and kept himself from punching the wall.

"Nothing. The kid's a total secret. One of the guys said he saw him slashing at something with a knife, but when he went in to investigate, there was no knife. This morning when he went to see him in an undercover-fashion, Ventus was reported as 'a nice kid.' I don't like him 'cause he was unfaithful, but there's something more that he's not showing us. Namine looks unhappy now, it kinda reminds me of how she looked when we first found her. Remember?" Cloud nodded slightly.

"Only an idiot would forget. But we can't do anything except try to convince her to break-up with him. Even then, it's what she decides." Cloud pulled out his cellphone and dialed some numbers.

"Find anything? If the answer's no, don't even bother to answer me, Cid." Cloud waited a moment, letting Aerith go to the kitchen and leaving him and Zack to talk about business.

"You took a new case?" Cloud glanced at him.

"No, Ventus left his house a couple minutes ago so I told Sid to look around if your guy didn't find anything. Wait so I can-Cid. What'd you find?"

Cid, a blonde man dressed in black, held the phone to his ear as he picked up a tattered piece of a picture. It looked like it was torn apart with a knife. There were more pieces on the floor, so he gathered them up in his hands.

"Cloud, I found a torn-up picture...well, pieces of one."

"That's a dumb start. What's in it?" Cloud asked impatiently. Cid scowled.

"Dude, I'm doing what I can! What's crawled up your ass lately? You and Aerith got into an argument?" Cloud took a deep breath as Zack smirked at him.

"Looks like your guy found nothing too. That's why I don't hire PIs."

"Both of you, shut up. This is my niece we're talking about, Cid, so quit jerking around and find out what's in that picture. If you can't find anything, I'm not paying you." Cid ran a hand through his hair and gripped hard to keep him from shouting at the man who could put a bullet through his head.

"Yeah yeah, I will." Cid glared at the pieces, only making out whips of blonde hair. 'Dammit, he won't be happy with that. There's gotta be more...' He looked around the dark room that was supposed to be the kid's bedroom. His eyes went to the bed. 'Please let there be something there!' he prayed, tucking the pieces into his small bag and climbing on the bed.

"Uh, Cloud, can I call you back later?" He could make out the low growl of his employer.

"How long is later?" Cid hung up, lifting the blankets and pillow to try to find a journal or something relevant to finding out more about Ventus. As he lifted up the long blanket, a small torn picture fluttered out of the sheets and onto the floor. Cid dropped the blanket and hurried to pick it up.

It was a picture of Namine, the right side looked like someone had ripped through it. 'Wait, is this part of those pieces?'

The front door downstairs suddenly opened, nearly making Cid drop the picture.

"Ven? Are you home?" asked a deep husky voice. Cid felt his blood freeze. 'Fuck! Where's the fucking window?' He stuffed the picture in his bag and ran around the room to find a window. 'Why is everything black in here? The damn kid _is _disturbed!'

Footsteps were slowly making their way up the stairs.

"Ventus?" Cid wanted to tear out his hair. 'No, goddammit! Leave me alone!" He ran to the furthest wall and felt around, his gloved fingers touching a curtain. His spirits lifted.

"Finally!" He shoved the curtain away, light streaming in, and hurried to open up the window. The footsteps were near the door as Cid thrust himself out of his escape.

"Ahh!" he shouted as he flew into the neighbor's garden. He landed into grass and quickly hid behind a bunch of plastic pink flamingos just in case whoever came into the house would look out the window. He quickly reached for his phone and dialed Cloud's number, crouching beside a smiling garden gnome. Cloud answered with a growl.

"You're a dead man, Cid." Cid chuckled.

"Not yet, Strife! I found something! Get ready to pay up!" Cloud grunted.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Highwind. If you found what I like, then you get paid. Come to my house. Now." Then he hung up. Cid puffed out his chest proudly.

"Hell yeah I found what he likes! I'm gettin' paid tonight!" He got up and dusted off his clothes, but when he looked up, he saw a horrified old woman staring at him with small knife in hand used to cut veggies. Cid felt his pride deflate as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Fuck, I don't get paid enough for this crap."


	3. Second thoughts

Chapter 3: Second thoughts

Namine and Kairi walked in a near-silence all the way to Sora's house. Til Kairi cleared her throat, trying to be subtle. Namine grinned at her.

"Yes, Kairi?" she asked innocently. Kairi blinked.

"Huh? Nothing!" she nearly shouted, waving her hand frantically. Namine stopped in her tracks, drooping her head.

"Is this about Ventus?" she whispered. Kairi stopped her hand. Her pussy-footing could stop.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she replied, placing her hand on Namine's shoulder in a comforting manner. Namine shook her head.

"No, I should tell you. You're like a sister after all. You can ask anything." Kairi paused, a million questions running through her head. But she shook them away. 'Don't overload her,' she reminded herself.

"Do you want to be with him?" Namine let out a half-hearted laugh.

"Important question number one. Well...I don't know. Maybe I took him back 'cause I pity him, maybe I care about him, maybe a bit of both." She sighed deeply. "I'm honestly confused." Kairi felt her heart drop, tears of sympathy made their way down her face.

"Nami-chan, you shouldn't force yourself to care about someone. But more importantly, how does Ventus make you feel?" Namine felt tears on her face. Her own tears. She opened her mouth and shut it, unsure of what to say. Might as well see what came out of her mouth first.

"Quiet, more than I usually am. Scared, and I don't know why. I don't even know if I want to stay with him. When I took him back after he cheated, I knew he cared for me but not the way that makes me feel like myself. Lately, I feel like I need someone who's not just dedicated to me, I want that person to actually care about how I feel and have arguments with me so we can see how strong our relationship is. I want to be myself instead of being a pushover." She could've said more, but why bring her friends into her drama? Instead, she took another deep breath and managed a wobbly smile.

"Sorry, I don't want to drag you into any of this. We're supposed to have fun today, right? With Sora and Roxas?" Kairi, who was brushing her tears away, grinned brightly.

"Hell yeah!" She planted a soft kiss on her cheek and led her towards the house.

Sora and Roxas were doing what guys normally do. Fighting amongst each other, no seriousness behind their words. No malice behind their punches...wait...

"SORA! DODGE!" Roxas threw a punch at his cousin, his fist only brushing against Sora's cheek. Sora grinned and launched his foot towards him.

"Don't think so!" he shouted, his foot missing Roxas's side. Kairi and Namine sighed at their childish behavior.

"Now what are you guys fighting about?" asked Kairi, rubbing her forehead as a headache was slowly eating at her. Sora and Roxas gave them grins.

"Nothing really. Roxas looks like Ventus, so I thought I could blow off some steam." Namine quickly looked away, ashamed knowing that Ventus fought heavily with Sora. Kairi angrily glared at Sora. She started pointing at Namine, then at Sora, swiping her finger across her neck.

...Does that make sense? No? Good! 'Cause only Sora and Kairi communicate that way to each other!

Sora threw in hand signs of his own and before they knew it, they were communicating to each other in angry signs that made Roxas feel like an outsider. Instead, he made his way to Namine, who was still finding the ground more interesting than her friends speaking in their own made-up language. It was obvious that she was depressed, but nothing a good hug couldn't fix. His arm wrapped around her shoulders. She shuddered at the contact at looked up at him. The blue eyes of a frightened child met the eyes of a gentle lover.

"Someone needs a hug," he commented jokingly, smirking at her. She didn't say anything and leaned onto his shoulder as he squeezed affectionately, trying her best to not stress out in front of her friends. Roxas had a vague thought of why she was feeling this way. 'Ventus...heh, prick.'

Ventus opened the door of his house, dropping a sack of groceries on the floor as he tugged off his shoes.

"Ventus?" He looked up and saw his father. He had very tanned skin and long silver hair along with amber-orange eyes. He didn't look at all like Ventus, but their scowl was just the same.

"Hey, Dad," Ven greeted, dropping his shoe to the ground . Xemnas crossed his arms over his chest.

"Huh. I thought you were home." Ven's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Why'd you think that?"

"Easy. I thought you were in your room." Ven's eyes widened and ran past his father towards the stairs. Xemnas blinked at his sudden actions.

"Are you alright?" Ven gave him a false smile.

"Yeah, sure." He sped into his room, eyes scanning around wildly to see if Roxas screwed with any of his stuff. The window was open, which was strange, he swore he had closed it this morning. The scraps of the picture he tore up last night were gone, but that didn't matter. No one would be able to tell what was in the picture, he thought with a cruel smirk.

He snatched up his blanket and shook it to find the picture of his beloved Namine. But it wasn't there. His heart beat hard against his chest, who else would've taken it? Namine's pathetic father? Or his own brother?

...It was probably Roxas. Roxas was going to tell. He'll send that bastard to Hell...

Xemnas watched his son from the doorway, concerned by his strange behavior. He glanced at the lone desk next to the bed. One of the two picture frames was empty. Namine's picture was there, but the one with his younger son was gone.

"Ven, where's the picture in that frame? I thought I saw it a couple days ago." Ven quickly looked at the picture frame and began to slowly compose himself. A fake smile reached his face, then was flashed to his father. He would fix this, he swore to himself.

"Not sure. I'll just get a new copy, my camera should still have it in the memory." He slipped past his dad before the false cheeriness turned into a piercing glare.

Someone would take away Namine, why else would her picture go missing? All the people who knew Namine hated him. They wanted to see him suffer, but that was wrong.

They would suffer for taking his warm light. From her adoptive dad down to his damn brother.

A/N: Honestly, this chapter was more of a build up to the next one, much like the previous one. What can I say? I suck at intro chapters. I prefer just diving into it, but every story has a past, might as well throw it in. Sorry I took so long and only had this to make up for it! But it gets better than this. Waaaaay better!


	4. Need to Die

Chapter 4: Need to Die

Italic paragraphs: Flashback

Italic sentences and words: Strong emotion since they won's let me put ? & ! together

Cid burst through the door of Cloud's home, breathing heavily and clutching his small bag tightly in his fist. Cloud and Zack, who were sitting in the living room, quickly got up from their seats.

"Cid. What'd you fin-What happened to you?" asked Zack, pointing at a trickle of blood on Cid's face. Cid shook his head.

"Slight altercation. But that doesn't matter. Look at this." He dumped the contents of the bag onto Cloud's coffee table. The tattered pieces of the picture fluttered out along with the picture of Namine. Zack's eyes widened and he snatched it up, hands shaking as his daughter's image smiled at him. It looked like a picture they would get when their superiors would announce a target.

"You found this in Ventus's room?" he asked, his voice quiet. Cid nodded. Cloud held the torn pieces in a pile, then let them slip through his fingers with a scowl.

"If that's Namine, who the hell is this?" Cid scratched his head.

"Not sure. Probably the brat's competition." Zack glanced at the pieces, then back at Namine. His mouth became dry. Why did it look so familiar? The pose, the dress. The one she wore when she was about to go to the beach with her friends.

"I think I recognize this picture." He pulled out his cellphone and went through the gallery. Before he knew it, he found a picture of Namine in that dress. Beside a smiling Roxas.

"I found it. The one where our kids went to the beach." Cloud's eyes flared.

"If it's the one where she's standing with Kairi-" he growled, but Zack shushed him.

"No. She's with Roxas." He showed them the picture. "It's identical."

A moment passed in total silence as the information sunk in. Then Cloud spoke.

"It's not enough to arrest him. Questionable, yes. But a judge won't say that he's a total psycho." Zack nearly crushed his phone.

"That's bullshit! He's obsessed with her! I know it! Ever since she tried breaking up with him, he's been following her around, watching her and making her feel depressed!" He dropped onto the couch, defeated.

"I can't protect her, can I? Maybe since I'm not her real dad-" Cloud's hand automatically flew out and firmly gripped his shoulder.

"Don't start that crap again. You say that everytime something goes even remotely wrong." He turned back to Cid, who had taken the phone and was staring intently into it.

"What's his last name?" Zack looked up.

"Fuyu." Cid nearly dropped the phone.

"_He's related to Xemnas Fuyu?_ Isn't he the leader of Organization 13?" Cloud growled.

"Can't prove it. Even though it's obvious to us that he's a powerful loan shark. No one believes it since he also funnels money to the public and makes himself look good. To everyone else, he's a business investor." Cid scoffed.

"Puh-lease! He probably sends out hitmen to get rid of the people who owe him money." Cloud glared at him.

"I said we can't prove it. What's your point?" Cid straightened.

"Well, I was also a part of the case that was trailing Xemnas twelve years ago investigating Saix, Xemnas's righthand man. Squall was there also. Ya know, the SeeD Mercenaries? They were supposed to assassinate Saix but were called off by their chief due to a clash of alibis that didn't make sense."

"Yeah, Squall was pretty pissed off. But what does that have to do with Ventus?"

"Apparently something came up with him in it. Yuffie reported it, but it wasn't relevant to Saix. It was dismissed as her being off-task and not finding out anything since she was chased out by Vexen. Her report should still be in the station."

Ventus left the house fuming. He would just get a copy of that damn picture just to make his dad happy, then get rid of his brother later. Don't think he hasn't succumbed to violence before. Sure, he got into fights at school and during martial arts tournaments, sent several combatants to the hospital with broken bones and made it look like an accident, but that only scratched the surface of what Ven could do. The one time he really wanted to kill someone was twelve years ago against one of his father's men. 'Bastard deserved it,' he thought with a sneer. I know that sounds bad, but wouldn't you say the same if that bastard dared to besmirch a loved one who died?

Ven was only six when it happened. Xemnas had taken Roxas to the hospital since he was running a high fever and Ven was left alone with a group of Xemnas's bodyguards. One of them was a newbie who decided to tease the kid, bringing up his dead mother.

Xeishia was their mother's name. She had died in a car accident when the boys were babies. They were sitting in the back of the car when a drunk driver came speeding towards them, too fast to swerve away. Without hesitation, Xeishia unbuckled her seatbelt and threw herself around her babies to hoist them up further back to protect them, taking the impact at the same time. The entire front of the car was destroyed, the driver had survived as did he and his brother who were carried to the back window inside the car. But their mother, even when she was rushed to the hospital, died of bloodloss.

_"Xemnas, please don't blame Ven and Roxas."_

_"I wouldn't. It wasn't their fault that that drunkard crashed into you."_

_A smile stretched across her face. "I know. I was just reminding you. They'll be good, right?"_

_"Of course." Xemnas didn't pay attention to the blood staining his suit. "Try not to talk."_

_Tears bloomed from both of them. "I can't. I'm already dead now," she whispered, speaking for his thoughts. "They're fine, right?" He smiled. _

_"Yeah, just sleeping, like how they do at home." He gestured to the cribs near the hospital bed, both boys sleeping soundly and innocently, little tears on their faces from crying over the loud impact of the crash. Xemnas wasn't in the car with them, but was in a high-end building for a meeting where he was safe._

_"At least you'll be there for them, hmm?" Xemnas wanted to laugh._

_"Yes, who else would tell them about their mother?" She giggled weakly._

_"You're right, you always are." The only thing that moved last were her tears, but she closed her eyes and didn't move again._

Ven would always love his mother. She died for him and Roxas, she deserved all the love and respect he could give anyone. But that damn newbie had set him off that night.

_"Heard your mom died when you were a baby." Ven almost dropped his toy gummi ship. He liked the other guards, but they were busy minding the house, making him dinner and making sure there weren't any intruders. This guy was left to play with him in the living room. At least Ven was surrounded by toys._

_"Yeah, she did." He didn't like this man... _

_"That's too bad. Was she with...another dad?" Ven scrunched up his nose. What did he mean?_

_"Huh?" The man chuckled._

_"C'mon, kid! Like, did she go with a dad that's not your dad?" Ven worked up an evil glare. This man was getting annoying. Why did he make Mom sound like a cheater? ...Is that what those bad moms and dads were called? Mom's not a cheater!_

_"I don't like you. Go away," he said firmly. The man chuckled in an irritating way. Why did Dad hire him?_

_"Ah, cute. But seriously, why would Mommy take you kids somewhere without your dad? Maybe she was taking you to your real dad. Xemnas can't really be your dad, you don't look alike at all. Maybe he sent his men out to kill your Mom and Dad since Mom was lying to him or something. Give me some info here! How'd your mom die? The traditional sniper shot? Torture?" Ven threw his gummi ship on the ground and got up. Hot tears threatened to burst. How dare he mention Mom when Ven could barely remember her? All he could remember was feeling warm, special when Mom would hold him. And this man made her a bad mom, like the ones he and Roxas saw on TV when they snuck downstairs to watch with the other bodyguards without them knowing they were there._

_"GO AWAY!" Saix ran in, a hand on his hip and a stern look on his face._

_"What the hell's going on here? Why are you upsetting the young master?" The man waved his hand._

_"Nothing, just the tyke being moody." Ven went up to Saix, crossing his arms over his chest._

_"I don't like him, Uncle. Make him go away." Saix bent down to him with a small smile._

_"It will only be for a little while longer, Young Master. Then you won't see him anymore." He cast a glare over the boy's shoulder to the man. Ven drummed his feet in a tantrum and tightened his arms around his chest. He wanted to tell Saix everything that bad man said, but he couldn't._

_"Can't he go away now? I want him to go away now!" he whined. Saix ruffled the little boy's hair. _

_"He will soon. Axel's making your dinner right now. Think about that instead, ok? And you," he pointed a finger at the man, "Don't forget to clean up." He pointed at the living room table, which had cut fruit on a plate for Ven. The man sighed._

_"Yes sir." Saix straightened and walked away. Ven jumped around in his spot. Why couldn't he say it? The man got up and headed to the table, picking up the plate to put it in the fridge. But as he passed Ven, the knife on the plate slipped and clattered next to Ven. The boy scrambled back like the knife had cut him, heart beating as the shiny knife lay on the floor. The man barely glanced back._

_"Oops." He turned and headed for the kitchen. Ven slowly walked up to the knife and picked it up by the wooden handle, then looked at the man's retreating back. 'Mommy's not a bad mommy. I hate him...I HATE HIM!' _

_In an instant, Ven ran up to the man and shoved the knife into his leg, then pulled it out as the man fell to the floor. _

_"AHH! THE BRAT STABBED ME!" The plate smashed on the floor and fruit scattered. Ven gripped the knife and stared at the man with no emotion._

_"You made fun of my mom." He lifted the knife over his head, the look of fear in the man's eyes was satisfying. But suddenly he dropped the knife, breathing heavily. What happened to him? Why did he feel so happy when he hurt him? Saix and the other guards hurried in, some dropping down to the man as Saix scooped Ven up. Demyx and Axel applied pressure on the man's leg with towels to stop the bleeding._

_"Are we being attacked? I just chased out a spy outside!" Vexen demanded. The man shook his head wildly._

_"No! He stabbed me!" He pointed a finger at Ven. Saix held him tighter._

_"How dare you accuse-" Ven tugged on his shirt, suddenly feeling queasy._

_"I did," he admitted. Everyone froze, except for Demyx who was laughing nervously._

_"You're joking, maybe-" Demyx began, but Ven shook his head._

_"It was me. He made fun of my mommy. He said Daddy's not my daddy and Mommy was with another daddy so Daddy killed her." Saix visibly twitched._

_"Is that so?" His voice sounded empty, like how it would when he talked to other people. Ven was crying._

_"Can he go away now?" he pleaded, puppy eyes and all. Saix didn't look at him, only at the man on the floor._

_"He will soon, Young Master." Ven rubbed away his tears._

_"Mommy died protecting me and Roxas, didn't she?" There was a ghost of a smile on Saix._

_"Yes, because she cared about you." The front door opened and in came Xemnas with a very sleepy Roxas. The guards turned and bowed their heads, not looking at the shock in his face when he saw the newbie sprawled on the floor._

_"What's going on in here?" His voice boomed like when he was angry. Saix set Ven on the floor._

_"He made your wife sound like a harlot in front of Ven." Xemnas's eyes had a spark in them. The hand he had with Roxas's clenched, but not enough to hurt his younger son._

_"I see. And who stabbed him?" The guards looked at one another, then at Ven. But Axel, who was four years older than Ven and cared for the sons, spoke quickly._

_"I did, sir." For a second, Saix looked like he was about to interrupt, but kept his mouth shut like everyone else. Xemnas looked partially satisfied, but not enough to get someone out of trouble._

_"Hmm. Axel, Demyx, take my boys upstairs to sleep." Ven ran up to his brother, who looked drowsy._

_"Wow, what'd they do to you?" Roxas mumbled incoherently as an answer. Xemnas chuckled and patted Ven's head._

_"Something to help him. Follow Axel and Demyx, Ven." Ven obediently did as he was told and followed the youngest guards upstairs with Roxas holding his hand. But as they went up, he heard his father speak._

_"To tell the truth, I killed the man who caused my wife's accident. It's quite a fond memory of mine. Why don't we re-live it? You can be the man."_

Ventus stopped walking. Namine, who was given the same respect and love he gave his mother, was being taken away by his brother. Her likable personality drew people in, causing some to flirt with her as he had when they were younger. But unlike everyone else, he actually loved her. The other girl meant nothing. What was her name again? Xion? Nah, but it didn't matter. Namine's the only one he wants. She made him feel warm, the warmth he craved for so long.

He found himself near Sora's house, close to a place where he could print out a copy of the picture. He could say hi to his aunt, but if Sora was around, he would beat him up since Sora has been so adament on breaking them up.

Instead, he saw Sora and Kairi communicating in that unknown language of theirs and Namine...being held by his brother. Ventus felt his heart stop._ What was she doing?_ _Why was Roxas holding her like that?_ Ventus tightened his fist. 'I knew he would take her away. She looks so vulnerable...' So she did. Her face looked paler than it usually was, she was trembling like she was cold. She looked like she was about to cry, then Roxas lifted a hand and caressed her face lovingly.

The way she pressed into Roxas, the way he held her to him, it was how Ventus wanted it to be with him. Not Roxas. Fed up with watching, Ventus stormed off with a hand in his pocket.

The one with the knife.

"Shit...oh shit..." Zack dropped Yuffie's report on his desk, running shaky hands over his hair and slowly taking a seat in his chair. Squall Leonhart, a mercenary with short brown hair with bored blue eyes, sat across from him and Cloud.

"What happened to the man Ventus stabbed?"

"He was found dead." Zack whipped his head to him, alarmed.

"_WHAT?_ Then why weren't they arrested?" Squall gave him a glare.

"Easy. Because he was found dead in another part of town. His death was written off as a suicide. There was a bottle of poison in his hand, his fingerprints and DNA was found on the bottle." Cloud snorted.

"That's supposed to be evidence of a suicide? How are you sure that he wasn't coerced?" Squall drummed his fingers on the desk.

"You didn't let me finish. The rest of the case was given to the arson unit. No one really looked into it since he was a public threat." Zack looked back at the report.

"I let my daughter date him, near that... She's in danger, I have to go home." He wasted no time running out of the room. Squall and Cloud quickly ran after him.

"Zack! Wait! You can't just face him by yourself!" Cloud shouted.

"Compared to me, he's still just a kid! Unstable or not!" Zack shouted back, nearly bowling over Zell Dincht and Irvine Kinneas. Zell dove out of the way.

"_What the hell?_" Squall grabbed his shoulder as Cloud followed him.

"Get back-up."

Namine was smiling for the rest of the day. Spending time with her friends really was relaxing. Shopping for trinkets, trying on the latest fashions, chasing Sora out of the women's dressing room when he tried to take a peek at Kairi. The only bad thing was that Sora dragged them to the places in the food court to try everything. She sighed. 'I probably gained a thousand pounds...' But it was well worth it since he paid for everything. At least she didn't get into the food-eating contest Sora set up, Roxas almost got her into it, but common sense came to the rescue.

Even Kairi found herself cheering Sora on, giving Namine her purse to smack Sora in the back when he started to choke on mochi. Roxas had to carry/drag Sora home while Hayner and Pence slouched over a bench until their parents came to pick them up.

Kairi and Namine were near Namine's house when the sun was nearly down. It was sinking into the ocean when they arrived at the white fence of the house.

"Feel better, Nami-chan?" Namine giggled and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah! Thanks for the fun today." Kairi gave her a bear hug in return.

"Remember, it's Sora's house tomorrow and then we'll go to the dojo to watch them practice." Namine instantly felt depressed. It flashed over her face in front of Kairi, who rubbed her shoulder soothingly. She knew that look on Namine's face, Ventus would be there.

"You don't have to pay attention to him." Namine smiled.

"I know, but I've made my decision." Kairi's heart raced.

"Really?" 'Please say you'll break up with him. PLEASE!' Namine took a deep breath. It came to her when Roxas hugged her earlier, reminding her of the warmth she wanted that Ventus couldn't give.

"I can't be with him." Kairi squealed, almost calling out the neighbors.

"That's good! In fact, it's better for you. So why so depressed?" Namine bit her bottom lip.

"He's my first boyfriend. It's sad that it has to end so bitterly. He may be happy being with me, but I feel...empty." Kairi gave her a reassuring hug.

"You'll find someone who won't make you feel this way. Uncle Zack will make sure of it." They said goodbye, and Namine walked into her house feeling slightly unhappy. Imagining Ven's face when she would tell him will be heartbreaking enough, but to stay in a relationship with someone who made her feel uncomfortable was like being dead inside.

She put her purse on the couch and went to her room to shower. Afterwards, she wore a roomy shirt and her dad's old training shorts before heading for the kitchen.

She was about to make some tea when she heard the doorbell ring. It was probably Zack, he would be coming home around this time. Namine set the kettle on the cold stove before hurrying to the door, making sure to check her visitor. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was, then opened the door.

"Ven." The boy smiled warmly at her.

"Hey Namine. Can I come in?" She hesitated for a moment, but stepped aside to allow him in.

"What were you doing today?" she asked, trying to start some conversation.

"Not much," he replied, removing his shoes, "Did some grocery shopping, talked to my dad for a bit." She shut the door and locked it.

"At least you saw him today, he usually doesn't get back til night." Ven chuckled.

"Usually, but today was his day off. What about you?" Namine smiled, remembering the excitement and happiness she experienced.

"Good. Really good. I'll make some tea for us." Namine went back into the kitchen and turned the stove on so the kettle would boil. Ven took a deep breath and had to stop himself from pacing around. Why did he even come? It just...happened. He needed to tell her that he loved her, he needed to tell her that his brother loved her to.

Wait, he thought, did he want her to choose between them? Half of him knew she would choose him, but the other half just wanted to hear her say that she wanted him. Assurance. If he got it, then he could leave with his heart feeling less heavy. But what if she said no to him? What would he do? Snap like he did when he was six? Could he even kill Namine? Hurt her?

No, he didn't. He shook his head. 'I'm overreacting...' He worked up a charming smile.

"You had fun? What'd you do today?" Namine smiled secretly.

"Went to the mall with my friends. Sora set up an eating contest that went south. Very south." He grinned when she did.

"And who did you go with?" He made sure to watch her face when she would answer. Her face brightened just a bit.

"Kairi, Sora and..." she trailed off and Ven saw a bush blooming on her already rosy cheeks. It put him off, he felt jealousy creeping up his heart.

"Roxas." His smile instantly dropped. He was right. His brother was taking Namine away and it was working. Now he wanted to know how Namine felt. If she felt the same way for Roxas...

"Namine." She didn't turn around and reached for the tin of tea leaves.

"What is it?" She suddenly felt something behind her, and before she could react, Ven's arms went around her.

"I love you." She didn't respond. Namine's mind raced with what to say. If she said she loved him too, she would be lying to the both of them. If she didn't say anything now, he would take it very wrong and they would probably get into a fight. But it was time to think about her happiness. What she wanted.

"I'm sorry," the words came out of her mouth smoothly. She felt the arms around her tense.

"What?" She swallowed.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore." His arms slowly moved away from her, letting her continue.

"I'm lying to myself, I'm lying to you. I can't be with you anymore, Ven." She turned to him, to the shock on his face and stared at him in the eyes.

"I still care about you very much, but I can't be with someone who makes me feel unhappy."

"Unhappy? How?" She shivered. His voice was not upset, but rather cold, distant. His very eyes resembled ice.

"When you cheated on me, I knew what you wanted. But I can't just give myself away, I don't believe in sex before marriage. And before you speak," she said quickly when he opened his mouth, "I know I was being selfish, but sex is a huge thing. It's about trust and love, being yourself when you're with someone who loves you. You love me very much, Ven, but you're too much to handle sometimes." She paused to let him speak.

Ven closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. But they were still ice.

"How am I too much to handle?" His voice remained deep and husky. She straightened. She couldn't curl into a ball and ignore what she wanted for someone else's happiness like she would before!

"Your jealousy. If someone talks to me, you give them suspicious looks. If my friends wanted to do something, you always want to be there. It shows that you care, but you even do that to my dad! He loves me very much and I'm always worried about him since his job is so dangerous. I would like to be with someone who understands that and thinks about what I want for me." Ventus's eyes hardened.

"You're my girlfriend, Namine. Of course I get jealous. I cheated because there were things I wanted. I can't wait forever to be happy with you." Namine narrowed her eyes.

"If you loved me, you would wait. It's like honoring a religion, if you truly believe and love it, you will follow."

"But I can't wait when Roxas is trying to take you away from me!" he shouted. Namine's eyes widened and she unconsciously moved away slightly. His eyes, the ones that were ice only minutes ago, ignited into a fiery blaze.

"Roxas?" Ven growled.

"Yes, my brother. He wants you! I can see it, especially when I saw you hug him today!" Namine's heart leapt.

"You saw? You're spying on me?" Ven shook his head.

"I just happened to walk by. But I didn't need to see. I already knew he fell in love with you. But I can't just give him to you! You're all I want!" When did his hand go around her wrist, she didn't know. But she felt it clench, just not enough to hurt her. It scared her like hell though. It reminded her of when her real grandfather wanted to take her away from Zack many years ago (1). But they let her choose, unlike now. Now she felt like Ven wanted to kidnap her, lock her away from everything. She imagined never seeing her father, grandfather and friends again, never living the happiness she wanted. Happiness maybe Roxas could've given her. Her thoughts only scared her more like Ventus's eyes.

"V-Ven," she barely whispered. The blaze extinguished. He suddenly looked at her like he finally realized she was there.

"Huh?" She stared at his hand around her wrist.

"You're scaring me." He let go instantly and backed away.

"I'm sorry." He didn't look at her and kept his attention on the floor, ashamed of losing control. She took a deep breath. What was that? She never saw that before, even when he got into fights. Maybe it was just a spur of the moment, she thought with shaky hope.

"It's all right. Go sit down, ok? The tea should almost be done. We can talk about this at the table." Her back was to him as she turned off the stove.

Ven didn't say a word, but made his way out of the kitchen to think. He was sorry for almost hurting Namine, that much was true. But now that they both knew Roxas loved Namine.

He could kill him, Ventus thought with a cruel grin, but would that be enough? Roxas was one of many guys who fell for Namine with her sweet personality and calming smile. That's one of the reasons why Ventus loved her so much. That would be so many guys he had to kill and as they will get older, there will be more and more.

...He had no other choice.

Namine set the kettle on a cool part of the stove. Ventus had scared her, but she was slowly pulling herself together. It was right for him to be upset like that. It's not every day that you break up with someone. He would find someone who would love him, she thought. He was handsome, and girls flocked to him during school so there was plenty of candidates for him. She didn't hear him come in.

"Namine?" She turned around and her heart stopped momentarily. He was holding a knife.

"We'll always be together."

Kairi swung her front door open and almost danced inside, much to the amusement of her mother.

"Hi, Kairi. Someone's a bit happy!" Kairi grinned and hugged her mom.

"Yup! Namine's breaking up with Ventus! It's a dream come true!" Aerith giggled.

"That's healthy for her, but remember, it's still a relationship so shed some tears." Kairi scoffed and dug through her bag.

"Not interested... Wait." Her fingers brushed against a skinny box, then pulled it out. Disappointment spread.

"Oh, damn. This was for Namine." Aerith didn't scold her daughter's language.

"What is it?" Kairi popped the box open and pulled out a silver necklace with a paopu fruit charm.

"A necklace to cheer her up. It was a reminder that we'll always have each other. I have to give it to her." Aerith shook her head.

"Why won't you wait til morning? She's probably exhausted."

"She's probably lonely right now too. We should hang out with her until Dad and Uncle Zack get home." Aerith smiled at Kairi's logical thinking and grabbed the car keys off the kitchen counter.

"I'll drive."

Sora and Roxas stopped at Roxas's house, but the red haired cousin began to whine.

"Why didn't you just walk me home?" Roxas groaned.

"'Cause you're damn house is further away. And you're fat so I don't wanna carry you any longer!" Roxas dragged him inside to the living room, then dropped him on the floor. He was breathing heavily after he was done.

"Lose weight." Before Sora could think of a witty comeback, Xemnas strode in.

"Hey, Uncle Xemnas!" Xemnas waved at him, then looked questioningly at Roxas.

"Where's your brother?" Roxas shrugged.

"No idea. Why? Has he been gone long?" Xemnas rubbed his thumb against his lip.

"A bit. He was only going to print out a picture." Roxas froze. 'Is it the one that he tore?'

"_Which picture?_" he demanded.

"The one with you and Namine. It was gone this morning." Namine was in danger. If Ventus wasn't after Roxas, he was after Namine.

"Fuck!" Roxas sprinted out of his house. Sora got up and ran after him, Xemnas following close behind.

"Roxas! Wait!"

"Where are you two going?"

Ventus pinned Namine to the ground, her wrists held above her with one hand and the knife raised in the other. His eyes expressed love despite the situation.

"Don't worry. I'll make this quick. No one will ever have you again." Tears poured down her face. She could barely breathe.

"Ventus, please!" she pleaded. "Stop! You're not thinking!" But he didn't listen.

"I love you-" The front door was busted down and Zack charged in, tackling Ventus off Namine. Namine watched her father and Ven wrestle on the floor.

"Dad!" Zack glanced at her, then turned his attention back to the knife that Ven was trying to stab him with. Damn kid really learned from his martial arts classes.

"Namine, get out of the house!" Namine tried to rush over to her father, but suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind. It was Cloud. She was practically hysterical.

"Uncle Cloud! Please help him!" Cloud, who was the narcotics officer instead of her kind uncle, pulled her aside.

"We have to deal with this. Go outside." To show her that he was still worried, he gently pushed her near the door and ran inside. Squall went in after him. Two other men began to pull her outside into her front yard, but she only stared inside. Ven went crazy, he tried to kill her...he was going to kill Zack.

"DAMMIT!" Namine squealed and covered her ears. That was Zack. He sounded like he was in pain and Namine could do nothing to help. A car pulled in next to her, but she wouldn't look at who it was. Two car doors opened and someone ran up to her.

"Namine?" Kairi's voice snapped her out of it. Namine cried into Kairi and Aerith's arms, helpless and scared. The other girls felt the same way, hearing definite shouts of pain and orders from Cloud.

It lasted not too long. Squall came out first with Ventus in handcuffs. Squall looked unharmed, but Ventus looked like he had been tossed around and he was bleeding on his legs, arms and mouth. He didn't look at her as he was escorted into a squad car. Cloud came out next, much to his family's relief, but Zack was leaning on him so Cloud could get him out. Namine's heart dropped.

Zack had been stabbed in the abdomen. Blood stained his shirt and his face was scrunched in obvious pain. But he smiled at his daughter who ran up to him.

"Dad." She hugged him lightly so it wouldn't hurt the wound. Zack held her with one arm, tearing up when she sobbed into him.

"I'm sorry." He kissed the top of her head.

"What for? Oh, I get it." He was being his comical self again. "You're sorry that I got hurt. Well, let me tell you something. I. Am. Invincible." He began to laugh evilly and they uttered a laugh despite their fear, except for Cloud. He poked him near his wound, pleased when the other yelped.

"Says the guy who got stabbed. Now, we need to get your ass to the hospital. Irvine got the ambulance here." Zack started to whine.

"But I don't need to go to the hospital! He didn't stab anything vital." Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Stop acting like you're five. Hey, Squall! Help me drag him into the ambulance." Squall shut the door and smirked.

"Wouldn't he put up more of a fight than this kid?" Zack whined all the way to the ambulance and had to be strapped to a gurney so they could go in peace. Squall and Cloud looked equally annoyed before going with him, contemplating on whether to gag him or not for the entire trip.

Namine ran up to the ambulance. "Wait! Shouldn't I go too? He's my dad!" Zack struggled to sit up and grinned at her.

"It's ok, honey. Stay with Aunt Aerith and Kairi. Trust me, the hospital's boring and you'll wait for, like, five hours. I'm fine," he said with confidence. Namine finally sighed in relief.

"That's all that matters."

"Namine!" Namine instantly knew who it was and looked.

"Roxas!" Roxas ran up to her, not the least bit tired compared to Sora who looked like he was about to throw up. Roxas embraced Namine.

"Are you okay?" Namine hugged him back.

"Yeah. It was Ven-"

"I know," Roxas replied quickly. Namine tensed. How did he-?

"What do you mean?" Roxas shook his head.

"Long story." Sora whistled at the police car and Zack.

"Damn. You okay, Mr. Fair?" Zack gave him a thumbs-up.

"Just peachy." Xemnas appeared by Sora's side.

"_What the hell is going on here?_" Cloud glared at him, holding Zack down so the man wouldn't try to break free from his bonds and tear the wound.

"Your son tried to kill my niece." Xemnas narrowed his eyes.

"I don't believe you."

"Fuck what you believe! The bastard stabbed me!" Zack yelled. Roxas pulled Namine away from the arguing and towards Sora and Kairi. He looked at her with concern and love, rubbing his hands on her arms to comfort her.

"Ven didn't do anything to you, did he?" Namine looked away from them and watched the squad car pull out and away. Ven didn't look at them.

"No, but I-" Namine sank to the ground and began sobbing again. She felt betrayed. By Ventus, by Roxas for knowing something and not telling her, but most importantly by herself. All she wanted was to be happy, but because of it her dad almost died.

Roxas knelt down and hugged her again, burying into her soft hair.

"I'm sorry, Namine. I didn't know it would go so far." Kairi and Sora joined them, their arms protecting Namine. Kairi began to cry as well, she couldn't protect her sister when she needed it the most. But Namine tried her best to smile again.

"I'm fine. I just..." Roxas lightly kissed her on the cheek.

"You need some rest. Everything will be okay." Namine sighed and looked back at Zack who tried to burst out of the gurney to yell at Xemnas more clearly.

"I hope so."

A/N: It's finally here, the real beginning of the story! And it's longer! And I probably might be even SLOWER at updating thanks to college starting (-_-) Oh...life...

(1) About that...I'm also doing a spin-off of Namine's past and explain how she got adopted by Zack and met all her friends. Let me tell you this, it's not all sunshine and rainbows but it still has it's charm (^.^)

Thank you for waiting patiently, read and review!

-winternightlullaby out


	5. Author's NoteStory up for Adoption

Hello to all of the readers following this story. Unfortunately, I have no plans to continue. When I first made this story, it was on impulse with no clear road on how to take it.

Because of this, I don't find myself fit to finish this story. I wouldn't do it justice. If anyone out there is willing to take on this story, please PM me ASAP and I will email you all of my chapters and any notes related to this story. If any of the notes seem confusing, let me know and I will gladly explain to you what the notes mean.

Again, I apologize to those who have followed this story. It has been a year since I touched this story and my inspiration for it has just died away. My other stories have a more clear focus and I will keep that focus, but sadly it isn't the same for this story.

Please message me if you would love to adopt this story.

-winternightlullaby


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